How To Maintain Your Testosterone Naturally
Testosterone is the single most important male hormone, its responsible for your development as a child, your transition into a man, and throughout your life, many aspects of your bodily health and well being.
Its perfectly natural for our natural testosterone production to reduce as we start to get older, in fact this decline starts from the age of 30, with our testosterone levels reducing by around 1-2% per year.
At first, this reduction is barley noticeable, but as it progresses it constant to affect our sexual function, reducing sex drive, fertility and performance. It can also cause a reduction in muscle tone, strength, energy, and moods.
One other thing that it can also do is to generate an increase in body fat, this is the key reason why so many men aged 40 plus have beer bellies.
Boosting Your Testosterone Naturally
A landmark study that looked at over 9000 men aged between 19 and 39, all of a healthy weight, and fitness recorded that on average, normal testosterone levels in the blood ranged between 264 and 916 nanogram per decilitre of blood (ng/dl)
If the level dropped below 264ng/dl the men where officially classed as having low testosterone.
In cases like this, doctors will often prescribe drug based testosterone therapy to men displaying symptoms. Using synthetic testosterone, the treatments can take the form of pills, patches, gels, creams and injections.
For a number of men, this treatment can be very effective, life changing in fact, but there is a dark side to drug based TRT, with many reports of side effects, some potentially life threatening casting a cloud over this form of treatment.
There are a number of natural ways that you can counteract this natural reduction in testosterone, some are lifestyle choices, and there are some natural supplements that can also help.
Here Are 8 Ways That You Can Boost Your Testosterone Naturally
(1) Get Some Sleep
Not getting enough sleep can have a marked affect on your natural testosterone production, this was demonstrated in a study carried out at the university of Chicago who uncovered the true effects of poor sleeping habits on testosterone levels.
The study followed 10 heathy men aged around 24 years old. They first spent 1 week sleeping at home each night for 8 hours per night. They then spent the next 11 nights in a sleep laboratory.
For 3 nights they slept for 10 hours and then spent the next 8 nights just sleeping for 5 hours.
Their blood was checked by doctors every 30 minutes while they slept for the 10 hour periods and the 5 hour periods.
The research scientists discovered that after 1 week of reduced sleep, the test subjects saw a 15% reduction in testosterone production.
Sleeping for at least 7 hours a night is absolutely crucial to optimum testosterone production, if you are not getting that on a regular basis, you should consult your doctor and get advice.
(2) Eat A Balanced Diet
Clinical research has long proven that eating a well balanced diet is absolutely crucial for optimum hormone production.
Eating poorly and being overweight has been proven to reduce testosterone, and cause both inflammatory conditions and reduced cognitive function.
Research has also shown that those who over eat or tend to follow yo-yo dieting have disrupted hormone levels. This is particularly evident in very active people such as athletes.
A testosterone friendly diet is one that is full of whole foods, with a balance of good carbohydrates, fats and proteins. This helps to regulate the bodies hormonal balance and maintain good long term health
(3) Lose Some Weight
Its a clinical fact that men who are overweight have lower levels of testosterone and there key hormones, a study in the journal Clinical Endocrinology showed that young men aged between 14 and 20 who were obese had anything up to50% less testosterone in their blood the men of a similar age with a healthy weight.
(4) Be Active
The journal of applied physiology revealed in a recent article that a study proved that the more active an individual is, the higher their level of testosterone.
A similar study also confirmed that being physically active was more beneficial to testosterone production than weight loss.
That doesn’t mean that you should be hitting the gym every day for several hours, as on the flip side, excess exercise has been shown to reduce testosterone in some cases.
This study also revealed that athletes that run long distances are often low in testosterone, experts speculate that this could be the due to inadequate energy levels and poor diet.
(5) Reduce Stress
Long term stress on the body can cause a number of health issues, Stress causes the increased production of cortisol, the main stress hormone.
This has a direct effect of reducing testosterone in the blood. It also causes issues with immune system and the bodies overall metabolism,
One key study carried out in 2016 discovered that medical students who were undergoing exams at the time saw significant decrease in testosterone.
The men also exhibited classic signs of stress including aggression, rumination and inhibited emotions.
(6) Natural Supplements
With the worries and potential side effects surrounding drug based TRT methods, its good to know that certain natural compounds, minerals and vitamins can have a profound affect on testosterone production.
Vitamin D supplements are one essential vitamin that is known to have proven effects on testosterone production.
In countries that have sufficient sunshine, your normal quota of Vitamin D can usually be obtained by just 15 minutes daily exposure to the sun. In most of northern Europe, the UK and a lot of the US and Canada, we simply do not get enough regular exposure to sunlight, and that is why we need to look to our foods and also at supplementation.
Foods hight in Vitamin D include Fish (Salmon in particular, Fortified milk and Cereals.
Other key compounds to look for include Magnesium, Zinc and DHEA.
Creatine is also recognised for its low but reliable effect on testosterone production. A study carried out in 2006 discovered that college football players who took creatine daily for 10 weeks all recorded higher testosterone levels than those who did not take creatine.
Discover Natural Testosterone Boosting Ingredients That Really Work
(7) Check Your Medication
Your doctor may have prescribed you something for a health condition, but its best to check if what you are taking could in fact be harming your hormonal balance.
As an example, tablets given to reduce cholesterol can often have a reducing effect on testosterone production.
(8) Cut Out Drugs And Alcohol
Drinking alcohol and taking drugs are well known to have a detrimental effect on a man’s testosterone production.
The national institute of alcohol abuse and alcoholism tells us that alcohol directly affects the glands and processes used in sex hormone production.
Excess alcohol can also cause low testosterone due to the harmful effects it can have on the body, in particular cellar damage and hormonal reactions.
Summary
With the risks and associated problems surrounding prescription drug based forms of TRT, it is left to natural testosterone products and changes in lifestyle to help most men regain some or all of their lost youthful energy, muscularity and sex drive.
They are not always successful, as some men can have another underlying cause or health condition the is causing their low T, but if the problem is solely linked to simply getting that little bit older, there is solid evidence that confirms the benefits of taking a good natural testosterone boosting supplement.
From my intensive research and personal experiences,I have prepared a list of the natural testosterone boosters that I have found to offer the best by way of results, formula and general value for money.
Click Here To Discover My Top Natural T-Boosting Supplements
ABOUT THE AUTHOR –
I am 60 years old, I currently live in London. I have one married daughter aged 35
I have always had a passion for fitness, In my younger days I was a keen swimmer and competed at county level both at home and abroad. I am also a keen squash and tennis player and have always been a keen gym goer.
I have a CPD accreditation in Sports Nutrition and am a published author with my articles featuring in some popular publications.
Over the past 13 years I have studied the effects of testosterone both in the younger man and as we get older, the effects of low or reduced testosterone and how increasing its production can really improve your health.
On a personal level, a number of years ago, I was diagnosed with Low-T myself, and my own in-depth research has helped me to redress my own health concerns.
